Abandoned and demolished theater NY

State Theater, Deposit New York

Date added: June 08, 2023 Categories: New York Theater Art Deco

Unfortunately the theater was completely destroyed by fire in September 1994.

The decorative front sections of the State Theater were designed in 1937 by H.L. Beebe for the Kallet-Comerford Company, an upstate movie house chain with over one hundred theatres in Western New York and Pennsylvania. Beebe's design included a highly decorative facade, marquee and ticket booth, along with a public lobby and restrooms, storage area, office space and projection booth. The facade is constructed of a distinctive blue carrara glass with tripartite poster cases flanking the entrance and is replete with original neon and tungsten light marquee. The theatre is an outstanding example of the Art Deco aesthetic as applied to small movie houses in this period and is remarkably intact, including furnishings. Its sophisticated design is unusual within the context of a small rural village in western New York and is a graphic statement of changing community social activities with the advent of movie entertainment.

The Empire Theatre, on Front Street, which was originally an opera house, was the only movie house in the village of Deposit. Little is known of the Empire Theatre, which was operated by the Mathier family, who lived over the front of the building and were able to watch the movies from their living room. In February of 1937, the Kallet-Comerford Company bought the existing Empire Theatre from Herb Mathier and announced plans to renovate the Empire building into a new theatre. At the same time the Tom Lewis Chevrolet Garage, located on upper Front Street, had failed and was being sold. The H.D. English Theatre Chain of Hancock, New York was interested in Lewis's Front Street site. Competition was strong for this site, with the Smalley Theatre organization of Cooperstown also bidding for the property following its survey of Deposit residents on entertainment needs.

It is unclear the means by which the matter was resolved; however, on February 11, 1937 the Deposit Courier announced that the Kallet-Comerford Company was buying the Lewis property and would erect the "ultimate" in movie houses. Kallet-Comerford, an upstate movie house chain, had well over one hundred theatres in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, including the Capital and Riviera Movie Palaces in Binghamton. In addition to these large movie palaces, the company established smaller, yet still stylish theatres in as many small towns as possible. Its headquarters was located in Oneida, New York.

The new theatre building was designed by architect H.L. Beebe. Little is known of Beebe, who was an employee of the Kallet-Comerford Company. His design included an addition (which included lobby and lounge areas, facade and marquee) to be added to the front of the former Tom Lewis Chevrolet Garage (which had been built in 1925 from Ford Motor Company Designs) and renovations to the garage structure so that it could be used as a theatre. This project is an excellent example of Depression Era economics; using a failed business enterprise as the basis for another.

Construction of the State Theatre was completed in a record four-week construction period by the Lewis and Sons Construction Company of Bainbridge, New York. Construction began February 20, 1937, and was completed on March 27, 1937. The project's success was made possible by the hiring of over thirty local workmen to help complete the job. Kallet-Comerford officials were so pleased by the work of the Lewis firm that they were hired to construct many more theatres for the chain.

The plans for the conversion of the former garage, a masonry building, included sloping the floor, blocking up the windows and replacing the front of the building with a decorative facade and marquee. The front addition was designed in the Art Deco style, with a carrara glass front (also known as vitrolite glass), ordered and installed by the Syracuse Glass Company.

The Flexlume Neon Sign Company of Syracuse was contracted to put up the marquee. It was an all-steel cantilevered marquee designed to span the distance from the glass front to the street. It was twenty feet wide and seven feet, three inches high. The neon sign was specially designed for the Kallet-Comerford chain with six rows of blue neon, two rows of ruby red neon, and two rows of standard red neon. The running lights, or travelers, were ten-watt bulbs and were located on the top and base of the sign. There were eighty-two ceiling lamps and four lines of ruby-red neon lighting the underside of the sign. Deposit Courier reporters, in announcing the makeup of the sign said ..."we think it is going to be the last word [in signs]".

Minute attention was paid to each detail of the theatre operation. The Western Electric Company was contracted to install Mirrorphonic sound equipment. The National Theatre Supply Company of New York City was hired to fit the theatre with carpets, drapes and the best in projectors. The system chosen was two super simplex projectors with a Hertner Transverter. The two projectors remain in the building. The latest in "silver screens," a Walker Super Silver Sheet Screen, completed the package.

The new theatre had a "gents" smoking room and a ladies lounge room. The chrome steel appointments for these rooms were ordered from McBride Upholstery of Utica. The theatre also boasted a comfortable lobby, courteous attendants (at least one doorman and two ushers), and air cushion seating. The contract for six-hundred red upholstered seats was let to the Haywood Wakefield Company of New York City. With its chrome steel apppointments, modern carrara glass facade and prominent and elaborate marquee, the new State Theatre was a distinctive example of an Art Deco commercial building in its small-town context.

The term "Art Deco," adapted from the name of the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs held in Paris in 1925, is today used loosely to describe a number of architectural and decorative styles current in Europe, the Americas, and elsewhere from the early 1920s until as late, in some instances, as the mid-1940's. In American architecture, the style was first popularized in designs for skyscrapers in New York and, shortly thereafter, became popular for apartment houses, resort hotels, restaurants and movie theatres throughout the country. While Art Deco style buildings were appearing throughout the country during this period, especially in urban areas, it is surprising to find such a sophisticated example in such a small rural village as Deposit.

The Art Deco style was characterized by a modern image emphasizing verticality, geometric massing, polychromy, ornamentation based on abstract floral or geometric patterns and a streamlined appearance. One important factor in the development of this style was the technological advances in the building materials industry. In addition to new products such as stainless steel and plastics, new forms and uses were developed for traditional materials such as pigmented structural glass. Pigmented structural glass (known under trade names such as Carrara glass, Sani Onyx and Vitrolite) was first developed in the beginning of the twentieth century and became very popular in the 1920s and 1930s. It became a favorite with Art Deco designers due to the numerous design possibilities it offered. It could be colored, cut, textured, curved, illuminated and sculptured. It fell into disuse architecturally in the mid-twentieth century due to changes in taste and rising production costs.

The major decorative feature of the State Theatre is the overscaled front facade and marquee, which lent the small theatre a monumentality and an easily identifiable character. The front of the State Theatre is faced in carrara glass. The original color scheme of the facade is agate blue and chinese red, with a black border. The front facade of the theatre, with its slick shiny surface, gives the modern, streamlined appearance characteristic of the Art Deco style.

In addition to the carrara glass, the facade also features two tripartite poster cases flanking the entrance. These have blue borders within chinese red borders, which create a simple geometric design. The marquee and hexagonal pavement ticket booth incorporate these same design elements (colors and geometric forms) completing the "up-to-date" and glossy appearance typical of the Art Deco style. The interior foyer and lobby spaces also conform to this style with steel chrome appointments throughout the lobby and lounge/restroom areas. Large glass poster cases with polished wooden frames with chrome borders are prominently displayed on the lobby walls. The theatre retains its original Art Deco furnishings; of plain design, the furnishings were economical, functional and decorative and continued the contemporary theme of the building's decoration. The presence of the original candy counter (of wood and glass), popcorn machine, ticket booth equipment and projection equipment enhance the significance of the interior spaces in suggesting the original appearance and function of the building.

Early theatres in the United States were derived from music halls and theatres and included a plain auditorium, stage area, piano, pavement paybox, entrance hall and small bar (for sales of snacks). As motion pictures became more popular, in the 1920s, elaborate buildings were built; this was the heyday of the movie palace and the super cinema. By the 1930's hundreds of small movie houses were being built, with precedents for design going back to earlier theatre and fairground booths. In the 1930s..."most cinemas had a simple external appearance, except for the show facade, with undecorated backs and sides. The special treatment given to the frontages evolved directly from the fairground booths and the biograph shows." The State Theatre, like others of this period, recalls this tradition, with its elaborate marquee and front facade, pavement ticket booth, and simple use of interior spaces. However in this case, with its stylish ornamental facade and lobby simply appended to an existing concrete block auditorium, the theatre also reflects Depression Era economics.

The building of the State Theatre in the spring of 1937 was a momentous event for the small rural village of Deposit, New York. During the Depression era, small movie theatres were being established throughout the country, with companies such as the Kallet-Comerford erecting a theatre in as many towns as possible. The growth of the movie industry accelerated as private citizens clamored for this inexpensive source of entertainment, which provided an escape from the anxieties caused by day-to-day life during this troubled period. The March 25, 1937 edition of the Courier carried a two-page center advertising spread announcing the grand gala opening of the "new" State Theatre. Highlighted in the center of the advertisement was the dedication of the building:

May we extend to you our greetings in dedicating this glorification in American modern architecture of an idea and an ideal of service as a palatial addition to the civic pride of this community. May the operation of this THEATRE a new institution founded with a purpose, a vision, a duty, be a complete fulfillment of your every desire and may you delight in the betterment of that integral part of community life: entertainment.

The words of the advertisement, along with the elegant design of the facade and overscaled marquee illustrate the importance of this movie house to the community. From its opening the State Theatre has been a focal point of entertainment in this small community.

From its inception, the new State Theatre had first-run movies. Joseph Essel was brought in to the village to serve as the first resident manager of the State Theatre. Essel was very disappointed that his first film offering to the Deposit public was not the most popular movie of the day, Love is News, which had just opened in New York City and would not be available to the general movie-going public for a few days. He did proudly announce that the opening show on March 27 would star the great Joe E. Brown. There would be two shows: one at 7:00 p.m. and one at 9:00 p.m. For thirty cents and ten cents, adults and children respectively, the movie-going public would see When's Your Birthday. Essel promised to make good on the Kallet-Comerford pledge that the State Theatre would "always (be) first with the best." The second show, starring Fred MacMurray and Carole Lombard, would be Swing High Swing Low. The third showing was Love is News; Mr. Essel kept his promise to the movie-going public.

Herb Mathier stayed with the Kallet-Comerford chain after they purchased his theatre (the Empire), although he did not serve as manager of the new State Theatre. His grandson, Floyd Thompson, was projectionist at the Empire theatre and became the projectionist at the new State Theatre. In 1946, following three years in the Navy, Mr. Thompson became manager of the State Theatre, a post he held for thirteen years. He purchased the business from Kallet-Comerford in January 1959. He in turn sold it to Nick and Andrea Penelov in 1979. In January of 1985 the State Theatre was the setting for a major motion picture starring Donald O'Connor, titled at the filming A Time To Remember. The Penelovs sold the business to Harry and Catherine Nichols in April of 1985. On February 1, 1986, following a showing, the roof collapsed as a result of a heavy snowfall.

The State Theatre, in continuous operation from 1937 until 1986, is the only public movie theatre in the Deposit area. Following the collapse of the roof, the auditorium section (originally the garage) was removed in June of 1986. The community has subsequently organized to raise funds, through grants and local fund raising, to save the remaining portions of the building and replace the collapsed section, with the goal of reopening the theatre for public entertainment. In 1987, the community received a $50,000 grant from the Natural Heritage Trust to rebuild the auditorium section. The plans for this project, reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office, included reconstructing the auditorium using like materials to the original, on the existing foundation. Although the auditorium is considered non-historic, reconstruction of this element has allowed the theatre to resume its original function.

Building Description

The State Theater is located at 148 Front Street in Deposit, New York, a small industrial village located in southeastern Broome County in a rural region known as the Southern Tier. Deposit originated as a staging and processing area for the local lumber industry and a farm market town. The courses of the Oquaga Creek and the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad run through the village. Situated on a small L-shaped parcel (less than 15,000 sq. ft.) on the south side of Front Street, the State Theater is a pivotal component of the small but densely developed commercial section of the village. The building's low facade begins at the sidewalk and extends across the lot frontage; it is effectively integrated into the small-scaled and architecturally varied streetscape. The distinctive brick village hall (1899) abuts the theater on the east side and a nineteenth-century frame structure with recent facade alterations is its neighbor to the west. The right-of-way of the Erie- Lackawanna Railroad (now Conrail) forms the southern boundary of the theater property as it cuts approximately 150 feet behind Front Street at the edge of the flood plain of the Oquaga Creek.

The State Theater survives as a fragment of a larger building erected in two phases: the highly decorative facade, marquee, foyer, ticket booth, rest rooms, office, storage area and projection booth erected in 1937 attached to an existing Ford automobile dealership, constructed in 1925 and renovated into an auditorium in the theater conversion. The auditorium section, of which only the foundation and slab concrete floor remain, collapsed with the weight of the snow in the winter of 1986. Presently (May 1988), the auditorium section is being rebuilt on this foundation in the same dimensions and materials.

The theater is a rectangular, one-story building with its long side oriented to the street. The wooden frame structure has a gable roof with its ridge perpendicular to the facade. There is asphalt siding on the end walls; the rear (south) wall is the exposed interior wall once common with the auditorium. The building is completely concealed behind a monumental stepped facade covered with 20" square vitrolite glass panels manufactured by the Syracuse Glass Company in a color scheme dominated by agate blue with black and red highlights. A central, trapezoidal marquee topped by lighted letters spelling "STATE" on each side cantilevers over the sidewalk. The sign is twenty feet wide where it joins the wall spanning a recessed entrance composed of two sets of paired doors on either side of a hexagonal ticket booth. Above the marquee, the facade is elevated a few feet to provide a suitable background for the sign and culminates in an arched pinnacle bearing a letter "S" in red glass. Shallow three-part showcases framed in red-painted wood, imitating the overall shape of the facade, are inserted into the glass wall at eye level on each side of the marquee. The sides of the sign are composed of white back-lighted panels, divided horizontally to allow for three lines of changeable lettering, enframed by blue and red banding in paint and bulb and neon lighting. The front of the marquee is dominated by a big red "S" superimposed on a blue circle surrounded by bulbs and, neon tubing. Red, white and blue banding compose the background. The underside of the marquee contains 82 bulb lamps and four strips of neon.

The interior is symmetrically arranged around a small central lobby accessed by the two doors flanking the ticket booth. The walls are papered above a wainscot of enameled panels. Cement floors were carpeted. Side walls contain glazed cases with blue vitrolite frames for movie advertisements. A concession stand composed of a C-shaped wooden and glass showcase/counter backed up by a popcorn machine is situated in the center of the room. Two pairs of swinging wooden doors provide access to the auditorium at the rear of the room. A men's lounge and toilet is located to the left (east) of the lobby; a lounge and toilet for women is located in a corresponding space to the right (west) of the lobby. Access to these spaces is provided by single-paneled doors from the auditorium area. These doors are labeled with lighted signs mounted above them as are the exits to the lobby. Lounge and toilet spaces are paneled with enameled sheets similar to the wainscot in the lobby with metal molding covering the joints. The original carpeting, furnishings, lighting and plumbing fixtures remain. Decorative features are simple but expressive of the Art Deco taste.

Two additional openings exist on the common wall between the lobby section and the auditorium. Between the lobby doors and the ladies' lounge door is an opening for a water fountain, with a lighted sign marked "Ice Water" above it; between the lobby doors and the men's lounge door is an unmarked door that opens to stairs that ascend to the upper level where the projection booth, manager's office and storage space is located. The projection booth is walled with cement blocks for fire protection. The original projection and sound equipment remains intact. The manager's office is finished with enameled panels like the rest of the interior spaces; its furnishings are non-descript. The balance of the space on the upper level is unfinished attic storage under the declining pitch of the gable roof. There is an access door from this level to the top of the marquee.

The original auditorium, the former automobile dealership, was constructed of a type of concrete and/or clay block with a wood frame gable roof. Windows that existed on the side and rear elevations were filled in with concrete blocks with the theater conversion. The floor was inclined and carpeted; cushioned seats were installed. The remaining (north) wall is covered with enameled panels suggesting a similar treatment on those now missing. A screen with curtain occupied the south end wall. This collapsed section is in the process of being rebuilt with cement block walls, wood frame gable roof and an interior seating arrangement consistent with the original. The only design modification has been the increase of the roof pitch, but this alteration is not apparent when viewing the theater from its principal elevation.